Monday, September 16, 2013

First/Last-Mooner

"Mooner began in 2007 in a bedroom in Oregon, when Lee Ketch started
recording songs with an old video camera microphone, playing guitars,
bass, keys, and every part of the drum kit, one instrument at a time.
Those home recordings were a solitary dude's love letter to the big
guitars and lean melodies of The Heartbreakers, The Attractions,
Television and Wilco--the type of tight rock unit a solitary dude can't
be on his own, the type of tight rock unit Mooner is now."

The first album you ever bought?
Rammstein's “Mutter” in 2001. I had just moved to Oregon and as an act of
aggression towards my parents for making me move I asked if I could buy some
music and then ordered “Mutter” on Amazon as a German import. It cost
thirty dollars. My parents found the CD under my bed, translated some of
the lyrics and made me send it back.

Your last album bought?The Canoe’s “Slim Century”. They're a Chicago rock band that broke up
about a year ago. They were my favorite local band.

Favorite album of all time?
Right now, it's The Ramones' “It's Alive”.

Least favorite/most disappointing
album?
My first year of high school I listened to a lot of Miles Davis because my
English teacher said he was "the only American musician that
mattered" and I wanted the English teacher to think I was cool. I
listened to all the career highlights and loved them but then I got to one of
his ‘80s albums called “You're Under Arrest” and it is just the biggest pile of
steaming crap. It's comprised mostly of ‘80s pop covers like ‘Time After
Time’ rendered in a flat, karaoke-style smooth jazz style. He bleats
aimlessly over Michael Jackson's ‘Human Nature." He had all these
world class session players and they pumped out 100% Kenny G. I was
writing a paper about Miles Davis for the same English teacher and when I got
to the 80’s Miles era I wrote angrily about how he had no artistic
integrity. The teacher wrote all these big question marks in red pen in
the margins of that section.

First concert attended?
My first show was in the basement of a church called SolidXState in downtown
Portland in 2002. Local thrash band Almost is Nothing headlined and my
friends' screamo band Farewell Field opened. It was awesome. I tried
out my first mosh pit. The Almost is Nothing guitarist was a cancer
survivor and I think he had a prosthetic leg. I've never met someone more metal
then he.

Last concert?
Mark Mulcahy at the Hideout in Chicago. He was so good. My wife broke down
in tears when he did ‘She Is Staggering’.

Favorite concert ever?
I saw a Bobby Conn show in March. That was great!

Least favorite concert?
In high school I bought my girlfriend tickets to see her favorite musician, Ben
Gibbard, at the Roseland for her birthday. She got really sick the day of
the show and I was the biggest dick about it. "We're going. These
tickets were expensive and this is going to be a special day and I got you
these flowers." She spent half the concert on the ground in the back
trying not to throw up and I stood next to her scowling, listening to Ben
Gibbard. Her mom texted me to bring her home immediately and she threw up
on the way to the car and then the parking attendant parked us too close to
another car and me and three guys had to lift the rear end of my Plymouth
Cavalier and inch it into the driveway for what felt like a half hour. Then I
drove home with a sick girlfriend who was past being angry and just wanted to
go to sleep and not speak to me for a week.

Any thoughts,
experiences about Pittsburgh?
My friend worked at a Dunkin' Donuts in Pittsburgh so it's probably a good
town!